GENEVA, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Nearly 2,000 people fleeing
Africa and the Middle East have drowned in the Mediterranean
this year, most of them in the past three months as they tried
to reach Europe from Libya, the United Nations refugee agency
said on Tuesday.

"In all, we believe that 1,889 people have perished this
year while making such journeys, 1,600 of them since the start
of June," UNHCR spokeswoman Melissa Fleming told a news
briefing.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Italian navy said it had rescued 364
would-be migrants in a two-day effort after their crowded
fishing boat sank off Libya. The bodies of 24 who had drowned
were recovered.

Violent political turmoil in Libya - which has long been a
major departure point for people trying to reach Europe by sea -
has exacerbated the problem, the Geneva-based agency said.
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